The moment the masked intruders entered the coronation hall, chaos erupted.
The grand ceremony that had been proceeding smoothly only moments ago was thrown into complete disorder.
Screams echoed throughout the hall.
Disciples, guests, nobles, and servants scattered in every direction as the attackers cut their way through the crowd.
The sound of steel colliding against steel reverberated endlessly.
Spiritual energy exploded across the battlefield.
What had once been a place of celebration instantly transformed into a slaughterhouse.
Seated upon the elevated platform, Xiaoyu watched everything unfold before her eyes.
Or rather, Yuchen's eyes.
Even now, she still hadn't fully adjusted to the fact that she was living inside someone else's body.
A violent tremor shook the hall as two cultivators exchanged blows near the entrance.
Fragments of stone flew into the air.
Several terrified guests cried out and rushed for cover.
Beyond the shattered doorway, Xiaoyu could see bodies littering the courtyard outside.
Blood stained the white stone paths.
Some of the corpses still wore the uniforms of the sect guards.
Others appeared to be servants who had been caught in the attack.
The sight made her stomach twist.
The attackers hadn't simply barged into the ceremony.
They had carved a path through everyone standing in their way.
This had been planned.
Carefully.
Meticulously.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
Yet strangely...
She wasn't afraid.
At least not in the way she thought she should be.
A battle of this scale was something she had only ever seen in fiction.
People were dying.
Real people.
The cries of the wounded filled the air.
Blood flowed across the floor.
Yet her heart remained surprisingly calm.
She couldn't explain it.
Perhaps it was because Shen Wei stood before her.
The loyal servant hadn't moved an inch since the fighting began.
His hand rested firmly upon the hilt of his sword.
His gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.
Every muscle in his body was tense, prepared to react at a moment's notice.
The message was clear.
No one would reach Yuchen without passing through him first.
For some reason, that thought reassured her.
Another explosion rang out.
A disciple was sent crashing through a wooden pillar.
The impact shattered the structure completely.
The disciple never stood up again.
Xiaoyu's eyes widened.
A member of the Heng Ming Sect...
Dead.
In the original story, the disciples of the sect were portrayed almost like legends.
Powerful.
Respected.
Nearly invincible.
Yet now they were falling one after another.
The attackers were terrifyingly strong.
No.
Not just strong.
Prepared.
As though they had spent years studying the sect's weaknesses.
The longer Xiaoyu watched, the more obvious it became.
This attack wasn't random.
Someone had invested enormous resources into making this day possible.
Her gaze instinctively shifted toward her brothers.
If there was a conspiracy involved, she couldn't afford to trust anyone.
Not yet.
Not even family.
Her eyes landed on Tianyu first.
The eldest brother stood near the center of the battlefield.
His robes were stained with blood.
Whether it belonged to him or his enemies, Xiaoyu couldn't tell.
His sword flashed repeatedly through the air.
Each strike was clean.
Efficient.
Deadly.
Three masked attackers surrounded him.
Yet Tianyu showed no signs of backing down.
He moved like someone who had spent countless years honing his skills.
Several assassins attempted to overwhelm him through sheer numbers.
None succeeded.
For a brief moment, Xiaoyu found herself impressed.
The stories about Tianyu's talent hadn't been exaggerated.
If anything, they had understated it.
A loud crash pulled her attention elsewhere.
She quickly searched for Zichen.
It didn't take long to find him.
Unlike Tianyu, who was actively cutting down enemies, Zichen seemed more interested in staying alive.
The younger brother stumbled backward while desperately avoiding incoming attacks.
His sword remained in his hand.
Yet he rarely used it.
Instead, he dodged.
Retreated.
Dodged again.
At one point, he nearly tripped over a fallen chair.
Only pure luck prevented an assassin's blade from taking his head.
Despite the situation, Xiaoyu almost laughed.
Some things really hadn't changed.
Tianyu was the talented one.
Zichen was...
Well.
Zichen.
The younger brother had always preferred enjoyment over discipline.
Unfortunately, battlefields rarely rewarded that kind of personality.
Her attention shifted once more.
This time searching for a particular elder.
Gu Liang.
Among everyone present, he remained one of the people she found most suspicious.
His influence within the sect was enormous.
His reputation was equally impressive.
And according to the future she remembered, he wasn't supposed to die anytime soon.
A few moments later, she found him.
The old man stood amidst a sea of combatants.
Despite his age, his movements were astonishingly swift.
A single swing of his sword forced two attackers backward.
Spiritual energy surged around him like a raging storm.
Several disciples nearby looked at him with admiration.
For a moment, Gu Liang appeared invincible.
A true pillar of the sect.
Someone capable of surviving any disaster.
Then everything changed.
One assassin attacked from the front.
Another from the side.
Gu Liang deflected both.
His counterattack was swift enough to force them backward.
The surrounding disciples immediately cheered.
But before the elder could press his advantage—
A third assassin appeared behind him.
Xiaoyu's eyes widened.
No.
A warning rose within her throat.
But it was too late.
The blade pierced straight through Gu Liang's chest.
The elder froze.
The cheering stopped.
The entire battlefield seemed to pause.
Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
Then a second sword plunged directly into his heart.
A painful cry escaped him.
The sound echoed throughout the hall.
Moments later, his body collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Silence followed.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the surviving disciples stared in shock.
Dead.
Gu Liang was dead.
Xiaoyu couldn't believe it.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
The future she remembered had never included this.
The elder was supposed to survive.
He had an important role to play later.
So why...
Why was he lying there now?
A sharp whistle suddenly cut through the silence.
The masked leader had raised two fingers to his lips.
At once, every remaining assassin disengaged from combat.
Their retreat was immediate.
Disciplined.
Absolute.
As if they had accomplished exactly what they came here to do.
Xiaoyu frowned.
Their objective...
Was Gu Liang?
Before she could think further, the masked leader turned.
For the briefest moment, his eyes met hers.
Or rather, Yuchen's.
The strange gaze lingered.
Neither hostile nor friendly.
Simply... knowing.
The sensation unsettled her.
Then he vanished.
The remaining assassins disappeared with him.
Just like that.
The battle was over.
Yet the suffering remained.
Cries filled the hall.
The wounded begged for help.
Family members searched desperately among the fallen.
Some discovered survivors.
Others weren't so fortunate.
The once-glorious coronation hall had become a graveyard.
Then suddenly—
"Father!"
A broken voice rang through the hall.
A young man rushed forward.
His face was pale.
His eyes red.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees beside Gu Liang's body.
"Father!"
His voice cracked.
Trembling hands reached for the elder's shoulders.
"No... no... wake up..."
Tears streamed down his face.
The grief was raw.
Unrestrained.
Heartbreaking.
Xiaoyu stared at him.
Her mind went completely blank.
She recognized that face.
Anyone who had followed the story would recognize it.
Li Jianhong.
The future hero.
The righteous cultivator who would one day become a symbol of justice.
Yet that wasn't what shocked her.
It was the word he kept repeating.
Father.
Father.
Father.
Her heartbeat stopped.
The elder...
Was Li Jianhong's father?
How?
Since when?
The original story had never mentioned such a thing.
Not once.
Not even a hint.
As Li Jianhong clutched the corpse and cried openly before everyone, Xiaoyu felt a cold sensation spread through her chest.
Gu Liang's death.
The assassins' strange behavior.
The mysterious leader's gaze.
And now this revelation.
One after another.
The future she had relied upon was shattering before her eyes.
And for the first time since awakening in Yuchen's body...
Xiaoyu truly had no idea what would happen next.